Review: The Greatest Beetle Legend (Maruka)

Review of the complete set of The Greatest Beetle Legend by Maruka. I was completely unfamiliar with this brand when I stumbled upon this set on the Japanese Yahoo! auctions. At a glance in the packaging, the figures appeared to be knock-offs of small Sega or Kabaya figures, but in fact they all appear to be original sculpts (well, original compared to anything else I have). They all have a round, flat surface on the bottom which suggests they may have been copied from something with magnets? If they are copies or knock-offs, I am not sure of what.

There are eight figures, each representing major males of large flashy scarabaeoid beetles (as the name of the set suggests). None of these species are uncommonly made, and they represent fairly standard fare. The Lucanus cervus is uncommon among Japanese manufacturers, so that was a pleasant surprise (even though it is commonly made outside of Japan). The figures are the same size as small Sega beetles or most gashapon-style figures. They solid-piece PVC and have detailed texture. Some are more accurate than others...

The figures came in a blister pack. On the back, the figures are identified to the species level., along with their Japanese names and some other stats in Japanese.

I am going to forgo my usual breakdown of each species, and all the companies that made each of these species, since all of these species are commonly made in toy/figure form and have been previously covered in other reviews of mine. So, on to the pics (in numerical order on the packaging):

Googling a little, it seems Maruka Toys Co. is a minor Japanese company, founded in 1962, that released several cheap toys. They started as a distributor and Takara was one of the companies that produced for Maruka. Later, they turned into manufacturing too. The series is interesting with a quality not comparable with what is usual on Japanese brands. They look more like some European toys from 1990's, I guess.

Googling a little, it seems Maruka Toys Co. is a minor Japanese company, founded in 1962, that released several cheap toys. They started as a distributor and Takara was one of the companies that produced for Maruka. Later, they turned into manufacturing too. The series is interesting with a quality not comparable with what is usual on Japanese brands. They look more like some European toys from 1990's, I guess.

This topic is now perpetuated at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] It shows that TAI is still far from Blaine's collection. While Blaine referes these as common species in toy shape, half of them were new to the wiki and needed a species page to be created.

Googling a little, it seems Maruka Toys Co. is a minor Japanese company, founded in 1962, that released several cheap toys. They started as a distributor and Takara was one of the companies that produced for Maruka. Later, they turned into manufacturing too. The series is interesting with a quality not comparable with what is usual on Japanese brands. They look more like some European toys from 1990's, I guess.

Interesting, do you know more animal figurines Roger ?

No, I haven't found any animal sets, the exception are some cartoonish animal figures with sounds. I even haven't found this set besides the topic on STS. Well, this set exists and Blaine owns it, so I believe other similar sets may exist and your are a good hunter.

This topic is now perpetuated at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] It shows that TAI is still far from Blaine's collection. While Blaine referes these as common species in toy shape, half of them were new to the wiki and needed a species page to be created.

Googling a little, it seems Maruka Toys Co. is a minor Japanese company, founded in 1962, that released several cheap toys. They started as a distributor and Takara was one of the companies that produced for Maruka. Later, they turned into manufacturing too. The series is interesting with a quality not comparable with what is usual on Japanese brands. They look more like some European toys from 1990's, I guess.

Interesting, do you know more animal figurines Roger ?

No, I haven't found any animal sets, the exception are some cartoonish animal figures with sounds. I even haven't found this set besides the topic on STS. Well, this set exists and Blaine owns it, so I believe other similar sets may exist and your are a good hunter.